Haitian president assassinated by an unidentified group
President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home. First Lady Martine Moïse was also shot and has been hospitalized
The widow of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise spoke out for the first time Saturday after her husband was gunned down by a team of assassins Wednesday morning in the beleaguered Caribbean nation.
"I’m alive, thanks to God," Martine Moïse said in Creole in a 2-minute recording that was posted on Twitter and played on radio stations throughout Haiti. "But I love my husband Jovenel. We fought together for more than 25 years. During all these years, love radiated within the home. But suddenly, the mercenaries came and pelted my husband with bullets."
Moïse, who is currently being treated at a Miami hospital for injuries she sustained during the attack, also said "you know who the president was fighting against."
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"You have to be a notorious criminal without guts to assassinate a president like Jovenel Moïse with impunity without giving him the chance to speak," she said.
In this May 18, 2021 file photo, Haitian President Jovenel Moise, center, walks with first lady Martine Moise, left, and interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, right, during a ceremony marking the 218th anniversary of the creation of the Haitian flag in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn, File)
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Authorities have already arrested 17 people, including several former Colombian soldiers and two men who are believed to be Haitian Americans.
"They sent mercenaries to kill the president at his home with members of his family because of roads, water, electricity and referendum as well as elections at the end of the year so that there is no transition in the country," Moïse said Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.